Real Estate, Wrecks, and Quality of Life

Demystifying Wildlife Corridors

Monique DiGiorgio, Chama Peak Land Alliance Bryan Peterson, Bear Smart Durango Green Business Round Table October 12, 2016 Demystifying Wildlife corridors Which Way to calgary? GIVING WILDLIFE A LIFT On the move ROADS SAFE PASSAGE WILDLIFE CROSSINGS GOOD VIEWS PACK VIEW BEAR Crossing DO THE MATh

NATIONALLY • $8 BILLION IN DAMAGES ANNUALLY • Hitting A Deer: $2,700 • Hitting An Elk: $20,000 • Hitting A Moose: $35,000 • Cost of 1 overpass: $1-2 Million

WRECKS Conservation REAL ESTATE CONSERVATION RANCHing Elk Migration MIGRATION DATA

GoT ELK? BIG BUCKS Do the math

• More than 75% of the West’s winter range and migration corridors are found on private land. • Economic activity of hunting and fishing by county: • La Plata: $43.3 million • Archuleta: $19.1 million • San Juan: $3.9 million • San Miguel: $17.3 million PRIVATE LANDS ALLIANCE

“Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.” -Aldo Leopold LINKING COLORADO’S LANDSCAPES

www.RestoreTheRockies.org High Priority Wildlife Linkages I-76

NORTH TENNESSEE PASS DURANGOWildlife Species of Concern: lynx CORRIDORS Fort Collins MEEKER-CRAIG Steamboat Springs Wildlife Species of Concern: elk, mountain lion, mule deer Tennessee Pass is part of a larger linkage extending over Vail Wildlife movement across US Highway 13 at Big Bottom, Nine-Mile Pass to connect the Eagle's Nest Wilderness to the Holy Cross Gap, and Meeker Hogback endangers populations of deer, moun- Wilderness - a critical north-south linkage across the central tain lions and elk, while creating major safety hazards for drivers Rocky Mountains. Adjacent resort areas, and high levels of DOUGLAS COUNTY FRONT traveling the highway. The linkages - connecting the White River US 13 Wildlife Species of Concern: black bear, elk, mountain lion National Forest to BLM lands to the west - currently allow some recreational use constrict wildlife movement between these wildlife passage, but long-term genetic dispersal is compromised by essential core habitats. This linkage, in conjunction with Vail frequent road mortalities. On-going oil and gas development further Pass, serves as one of the last remaining forested connections This linkage lies at the fringes of the burgeoning Denver threatens the quality of these linkages. for wildlife moving between southern Colorado mountains and Metropolitan area and surrounding communities to the Ecological the Medicine Bow range of Wyoming. south. Connectivity among these otherwise isolated habi- Opportunity Ecological Significance tat remnants supports local dispersal movements of wild- Safety Concern Opportunity I-25 life such as mountain lions, bears, and elk. County and Safety local partners have already succeeded in protecting por- tions of the linkage habitat.

MONARCH PASS-PONCHA PASS Wildlife Species of Concern: lynx

MONTROSE-RIDGEWAY (HWY 550) Spanning two mountain passes and connecting the Wildlife Species of Concern: elk, mountain lion, mule deer Sawatch Range and Cochetopa Hills with the Sangre de Large herds of deer and elk spend winter months in this river valley Cristos, this linkage opens up access to large expanses Copyright John Fielder between the Uncompahgre Plateau and the Cimmaron Mountains. of otherwise isolated habitat. Lynx dispersal through The linkage provides a refuge for these animals and also allows mountain lions to disperse between these large blocks of habitat this area is compromised by winter recreation and the Colorado Springs to the east and west. Driver safety is of great concern along this transportation corridors, which serves as a gateway for stretch of highway between Montrose and Ridgeway, which is known as a location with a high frequency of animal-vehicle collisions. The people accessing the central Colorado mountains. San Juan Corridor Coalition is actively engaged in promoting the safe passage of wildlife through the linkage and encouraging driver awareness. Ecological Significance Opportunity RATON PASS (I-25 South) Ecological Significance Safety Wildlife Species of Concern: black bear, mountain lion Opportunity US 50 Safety Concern US 550 Gunnison Projected growth along the southern Front Range in conjunction with an anticipated increase in passenger and freight traffic further threatens wildlife movement between WOLF CREEK PASS Pueblo the large expanses of plains habitat to the east and foot- Wildlife Species of Concern: gray wolf, lynx hills habitats to the west. There is little public land in this area, and while providing dispersal routes for animals such Spanning the continental divide, this linkage provides an important land- as bear and mountain lion, the future connectivity of this scape connection for large carnivores between the high quality habitats of linkage is uncertain. the South San Juan and Weminuche Wilderness areas. In addition to aiding the dispersal of the reintroduced lynx population, this linkage may also assist Copyright San Juan Citizens Alliance Ecological Significance wolves in reestablishing their range in Colorado. Currently, wildlife movement Opportunity across the pass is somewhat constrained by recreational activities and traffic DURANGO-SAN JUAN BASIN Safety Concern Wildlife Species of Concern: black bear, elk, on Hwy-160, but new developments at Wolf Creek and construction projects mule deer on Hwy 160 threaten to increase development impacts, traffic densities, and recreational use. Linkages traversing US Highway 160 east and west of Durango and US Highway 550 north of Ecological Significance I-25 Durango connect elk winter ranges and provide Opportunity dispersal corridors for black bears. High inci- Safety dences of animal-vehicle collisions and rampant development throughout the basin underscore the importance of functioning wildlife linkages in this area. Proposed oil and gas development in the HD Mountains further threatens wildlife habitat connectivity in the basin. Durango US 160 Ecological Significance Opportunity Safety Concern Copyright 2006 Shattil / Wendy Bob Rozinski

GOT FISH? BRUin or beauty? Durango’s future In your backyard RESOURCES Thank you!